Real, Yet Magic
by MissAdventurer
Summary: A summary of Alma Dray's life prior to the start of the movie from her point of view, from childhood to meeting Rhodes in Las Vegas. Please R&R.


Hey, everyone, I've decided to do another one-short for Now You See Me. I'm sorry I didn't do this early. I wanted too, but as time went on, I began to forget the plot. And I only recently watch the extended version of the movie and found out Alma Dray's original position at Interpol is as a researcher before the movie, so that had some effect on this story. I'm not sure this is as good as my Dylan Rhodes' story, Path to Vengeance, but I do hope you guys like this. If you like this, I might to more. I don't want to see this fandom die yet. Besides, they're already making a sequel. I'm in this for the long haul.  
After this I do want to do something with Agent Fuller. I've just always thought of him and Rhodes as good friends since Fuller always calls Rhodes by his first name, though Evan, the (I want to say) supervisor of them, also calls Rhodes by Dylan occasionally, not as much as Fuller, and he does seem somewhat fond of Rhodes and Fuller. The deleted scenes from the movie also gave more info on Fuller. If you want more, let me know and I will do more if I get an idea or I like a suggested idea enough. Please read and review. Enjoy.

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**Real, Yet Magic**

When I was a young girl, I adored magic.

I grew up in Paris, France and have lived there all my life. I lived with my parents. My father was an agent for Interpol and my mother stayed at home when I was young. We were happy. I had a loving childhood.

As a young child, I loved being with my parents. My mom and I did almost everything together, she would take me almost anywhere. My dad and I was just as close. I always though he had an exciting, brave job and that he was truly making a difference in the world. He would always tell me it was a difficult job, yet rewarding in many ways. Whenever we would take walks over the Ponts des Arts bridge over the Seine River, he would always tell me how if I ever had a secret, especially when it was about a love, I could just locked it up and throw away the key and my secret would be safe forever.

When I was seven, my parents took me to a magic show. I remember staring in awe the entire show. He made the simplest tricks look like it was true magic. And his harder tricks were impossible to solve. The whole show was simply amazing. Though I could never recall the magician's name, I considered him, even years later, to be the finest magician I had ever seen.

Whenever I walked the busy, famous streets of Paris and saw a street magician, I always made parents stop so I could watch. They'd smile and laugh, and let me watch as long as I liked. They thought I was just being a child with a childish interest.

When I was ten, my parents and I went on vacation in New York City. We visited the sites, shopped the stores, and enjoyed just being there together. I even rode the carousel in Central Park, even if I might have been getting a little old for it. A day before we were planning to head back to France, we walked around the city. We walked on along the Hudson River. As we walked, we saw a crowd had gathered. A magician was having himself locked in a safe and dropped to the bottom of the river, and he had to escape before he drowned. My parents' looked a little unsure if they should allow me to watch, but allowed it. We watched as the man was locked in. We watched as the safe dropped to the bottom. We even watched as he never surfaced.

My parents' realized what had happen before I did, led my away without saying why. Others we beginning to leave as well, while the police began showing up. As I was led away, and I looked back one last time and got a glimpse of a boy, just a little older than me with dark hair and a dark jacket, watching the water below intently from railing. I forgot about the boy not long after, never realizing how important that day would be.

My future was set in stone when I fifteen. My father was shot and killed during a raid. He was killed instantly. We buried him several days later at the top of a hill. It was during this time I decided I wanted to go into law enforcement. I wanted to carry on the legacy he left me.

A year after my father was killed, my mother decided we needed to take a small trip, just the two of us, to get away from it all. We want to New York City again, like we had several years ago. We saw the sites, shopped the stores, and walked the city. We were half though our little trip when I saw a magician. Just a young man, only little older than me with dark hair and deep brown eyes, in a grey hoodie and jeans. He mostly did card tricks, very good card tricks. He also knew how to work the crowed he had gathered. He was astounding. I was a little saddened when he ended it. I watched as the crowd dispersed, and soon followed suit.

After my mother and I returned from the States, we settled into a routine. My mother got a desk job as the police department. I focused on my studies in school and soon the university, where I studied law and law enforcement, as well as culture and history of other countries and foreign relations. I became a rather good researcher.

After I completed my time at the university, I made my decision on what I wanted to do with my life. I joined Interpol. I went through standard training like every agent. I learned how to shot, how to interrogate anyone, how to never show fear or uncertainty, how work a case for the best results. I wanted to be a field agent, though when it came down to it, I knew I would make a much better researcher for Interpol. So I became a researcher.

I remained in Paris and worked at the headquarters. I became friends would several other researchers and even a few field agents and supervisors that went through often. Over time, they all eventually knew my loved for magic. I'd tease get for it, though it was always light hearted.

I was a researcher at the headquarters for a good number of years before I got to lead my first case. I had assisted in many other cases as a lead on scene researcher. I got to travel around doing what I did best. I loved it.

I got briefed on the case only minutes before I was going to head home for the night. When an agent approached me and told me to head to the head supervisors office, I didn't really think I would lead the case myself. I didn't even know what it was. As I walked towards the supervisor's officer, I saw several of my fellow researchers give me a small grin. I wasn't quite sure what to think, though I made sure not to show it.

When my supervisor began explaining the case to me, I thought it was almost a joke on me, teasing me for my interest in magic. The case was on a group of four American magicians having robbed 3.2 million euros from a Paris bank, Credit Republican, and giving away all of the money stolen to their crowd. After he finish, I asked why he had selected me. Apparently several others had recommended me due to my knowledge in magic. They believed my skills could be an asset in this.

I accepted the case readily, I knew I had to solve this.

The next thing I knew I was on a plane heading straight to Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. I tried to get as much sleep as I could on the flight. Not long into the flight I began researching everything I could find on this case after I realized I would be getting no rest.

The flight was nearly as long as I wished it was. I was not in a good mood upon landing. I collected my bag and caught a taxi to the FBI's Las Vegas Division building. There I was quietly escorted to a small office on a higher floor.

As I looked out over the hurrying city, I calmly waited by the agent I would be working with. I knew nothing about the agent I would work with other than his name was Dylan Rhodes. The name meant nothing to me.

I was still watching the city when two men walked in. The older was catching the younger agent up on the case. The older agent states that the magicians had stolen 3 million euros, surprising the younger.

I decide to correct them as my introduction, "3.2 actually."

I turn towards them. The younger agent has dark hair and deep brown eyes. I take a guess and want to say that is Dylan Rhodes, my partner for the case. I can't help but think he looks familiar in a way, though I dismiss rather quickly. Quicker than I should have.

Rhodes simply stares at me for a moment before asking his partner rather bluntly, "Who's she?"

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And that is it. I understand if you think this isn't as good as my first, before I did come back didn't I? I'm just sorry I didn't do it early earlier, though waiting did have certain advantages. If you want me to do any more stories, just let me know, and if you have a particular (please keep it realistic (for the movie) and not extremely strange) idea you want me to see about doing, just let me know. Thanks for reading. Please review. Later.


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